The City of Petersburg WWTP, NPDES Permit #AK0021458
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FACT SHEET United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 Park Place Building, 13th Floor 1200 Sixth Avenue, OW-130 Seattle, Washington 98101 (206) 553-0523 Date: Permit No.: AK-002145-8 PROPOSED REISSUANCE OF A NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) PERMIT TO DISCHARGE POLLUTANTS PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT (CWA) The City of Petersburg Wastewater Treatment Plant 1404 North 14th Street Petersburg, Alaska 99833 has applied for reissuance of a NPDES permit to discharge pollutants pursuant to the provisions of the CWA. This Fact Sheet includes (a) the tentative determination of the EPA to reissue the permit, (b) information on public comment, public hearing and appeal procedures, (c) the description of the current discharge, (d) a listing of tentative effluent limitations, schedules of compliance and other conditions, and (e) a sketch or detailed description of the discharge location. We call your special attention to the technical material presented in the latter part of this document. Persons wishing to comment on the tentative determinations contained in the proposed permit reissuance may do so by the expiration date of the Public Notice. All written comments should be submitted to EPA as described in the Public Comments Section of the attached Public Notice. After the expiration date of the Public Notice, the Director, Water Division, will make final determinations with respect to the permit reissuance. The tentative determinations contained in the draft permit will become final conditions if no substantive comments are received during the Public Notice period. The proposed NPDES permit and other related documents are on file and may be inspected at the above address any time between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Copies and other information may be requested by writing to EPA at the above address to the attention of the NPDES Permits Unit, or by calling (206) 553-0523. The draft permit, fact sheet, and tentative decision document are also available from the EPA Alaska Operations Office, Room 537, Federal Building, 222 W. 7th Avenue, #19, Anchorage, Alaska 99513 and EPA Alaska Operations Office, P.O. Box 20370, Juneau, Alaska 99802-0370, physical address: Room 223A, 709 W. 9th Street, Juneau AK. 2 TECHNICAL INFORMATION The fact sheet and tentative decision document accompanying the reissuance of the permit set forth the principal facts, legal issues, and policy questions considered in the development of the terms and conditions of the permit. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................5 II. APPLICANT ...........................................................6 III. FACILITY DESCRIPTION ................................................6 IV. BACKGROUND ........................................................6 V. RECEIVING WATERS ...................................................7 A. General Features ......................................................7 B. Circulation ..........................................................9 C. Currents and Flushing .................................................9 VI. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DISCHARGE ......................9 A. Outfall/Diffuser Design and Initial Dilution ................................9 B. Zone of Initial Dilution (ZID) ..........................................10 VII. STATUTORY BASIS FOR EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND OTHER PERMIT CONDITIONS .........................................................10 A. Applicable Technology-Based Requirements ..............................11 B. Water Quality Evaluation .............................................11 C. Maintenance of that Water Quality which Assures Protection of Public Water Supplies, a Balanced Indigenous Population (BIP) of Shellfish, Fish, and Wildlife, and Recreational Activities in and on the Water .........................20 D. Establishment of Monitoring Programs ...............................22 E. Effect of Discharge on Other Point and Nonpoint Sources .................25 F. Toxics Control Program ...........................................25 G. Effluent Volume and Amount of Pollutants Discharged ...................26 H. Percent Removal Requirements ......................................27 I. Sludge Management Requirements ...................................27 VIII. COMPLIANCE WITH PROVISIONS OF OTHER STATE, LOCAL OR FEDERAL LAWS .....................................................................28 A. State Coastal Zone Management Program ..............................28 B. Endangered or Threatened Species ...................................29 C. Essential Fish Habitat .............................................29 D. Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act .......................30 E. Other State, Local, or Federal Laws ...................................30 IX. STATE CONCURRENCE IN WAIVER ....................................30 X. CONCLUSION ........................................................30 4 REFERENCE ................................................................31 APPENDIX 1 ................................................................32 TABLE 1 ...................................................................33 APPENDIX 2 ................................................................34 5 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On the basis of the conclusions presented in this fact sheet, EPA has determined that the proposed discharge from the City of Petersburg Wastewater Treatment Plant, a publicly owned treatment works (POTW), will comply with the requirements of Section 301(h) of the Clean Water Act, as amended by the Water Quality Act of 1987, (the Act) and 40 CFR Part 125, Subpart G. The City of Petersburg (the applicant) is seeking a waiver to the secondary treatment requirements to discharge treated primary effluent from a 1.2 million gallon per day (mgd) treatment plant. The outfall is located at 18.3 m (60 ft) below mean lower low water in Frederick Sound. EPA followed the guidance provided by the Amended Section 301(h) Technical Support Document, EPA 842-B-94-007, September 1994, (301(h) TSD) for the evaluation of the improved discharge for the small applicant. The Region relied on information in the current 301(h) application, as well as the results of the monitoring conducted under the existing NPDES permit. Available monitoring data and an evaluation of the proposed discharge characteristics support this tentative decision because monitoring conducted under the current 301(h) permit has not shown any adverse impacts on solids accumulation, water quality standards, or the biological community in the vicinity of the discharge. Continuing water quality, biological, and effluent monitoring programs will determine future compliance with the 301(h) criteria. The applicant's receipt of a Section 301(h) waiver from secondary treatment is contingent upon the following conditions: 1. State certification under Section 401 of the Act regarding compliance with State law and water quality standards, including a basis for the conclusions reached. 2. State determination that the discharge will comply with the Alaska State Coastal Zone Management Program. 6 II. APPLICANT City of Petersburg Wastewater Treatment Plant Mailing Address Facility Location P.O. Box 329 1404 N. 14th Street Petersburg, Alaska 99833 Petersburg, Alaska 99833 Contact: Bruce R. Jones, Superintendent WWTP Permit No. AK-002145-8 The City of Petersburg, Alaska, has applied for renewal of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for its publicly owned treatment works (POTW), permit number AK-002145-8. The permit became effective July 5, 1996, and expired July 5, 2001. Petersburg submitted an application for renewal on March 2, 2001. Because the application for renewal was not timely, under the conditions of 40 CFR § 122.6, the permit was not administratively extended. III. FACILITY DESCRIPTION The facility has a peak design flow of 3.6 million gallons per day. The existing outfall discharges to Frederick Sound 1200 feet offshore at a depth of 60 feet below mean lower low water. The outfall location is 56° 49' 21" N, 132° 55' 39" W. The treatment plant currently serves a population of approximately 3,350. Peak design flow is 0.157 m3/sec (3.6 mgd) and average daily design flow is 0.05 m3/sec (1.2 mgd). The collection system is a separate sanitary sewer system consisting of approximately 16 miles of mains and interceptors. Treatment consists of screening with 0.04 inch screens, grit removal and primary sedimentation using clarifiers. Sludge is pumped to an aerated holding tank. The City of Petersburg treats the sewage sludge to separate much of the water from the solids, treats the sludge solids with lime, and transfers the sludge by truck to the city’s solid waste facility where it is disposed in a separate trench-type landfill (sludge monofill). The Petersburg Solid Waste Facility has applied for a separate NPDES permit (a “sludge-only” NPDES permit) for operation of the sludge monofill. The Clean Water Act authorizes EPA to issue NPDES permits solely for the purpose of regulating sludge management. IV. BACKGROUND The City of Petersburg was first issued an NPDES permit for its wastewater treatment facility on October 29, 1974. The permit was modified by EPA on October 28, 1975, and again on September 21, 1978, before expiration on March 31, 1979. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 specified July 1, 1977, as the date by which publicly owned treatment works must comply